The National Equal Offenders Network (NEON) represents the Equal DPs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are working exclusively with ex-offenders, each with different specific target groups or issues.
They are collaborating to share new learning and emerging best practice, exchange materials and expertise, and to maximise the potential for dissemination and mainstreaming at a national and European level.
NEON has established a National Policy Reference Group, which includes all relevant national agencies and stakeholders, to ensure that the effective models and practices which are being developed by the projects are considered by policy makers.
Core Partners
EXODUS (lead partner SEEDA)
EXODUS has been creating models of good practice in anticipation of the implementation of Custody Plus and developing an integrated induction and assessment process in custody to facilitate effective 'through the gate' services.
Women into Work: Moving On (lead partner SOVA)
The aims of this project are to identify and challenge barriers to employment, training and education for women who have experienced disadvantage, particularly through their experience of the Criminal Justice System.
Women Building Futures (lead partner SOVA)
This project is focused on facilitating disadvantaged women, including ex-offenders, into employment sectors in which women are currently under-represented. The project has built on the evidence from a previous project, Women into Work, to promote employment opportunities for women in the construction industry, ICT, arts and media, and transport sectors.
RESET (lead partner Rainer)
RESET has been working to challenge and influence cross-departmental government policy by re-engineering resettlement practices for imprisoned juveniles. Their ultimate goal is to enable young offenders to achieve sustainable integration in the labour market.
Unlocking Potential (lead partner South Wales Probation Area)
Unlocking Potential’s partnership brings the Probation Service, Prisons and Jobcentre Plus in South Wales together with the Welsh Development Agency, Welsh Assembly Government, Careers Advisers and other relevant employer and voluntary organisations. The partnership has been developing effective ways of working with employers and ex-offenders to 'unlock potential' both in terms of meeting employers’ labour requirements and improving ex-offenders’ opportunities to access the labour market.
IMPACT – Changing Directions (lead partner HMPS)
This project is focused on barriers to self-employment for prisoners classified as either sex offenders or presenting a 'risk to children' and involves action research with approximately 75 prisoners serving sentences at HMP Risley or HMP Wymott. The project includes the trialing of intensive community-based supervision and the development of risk assessment tools, working closely with the Police, National Probation Service and other relevant partners.
IMPACT – Ascend (lead partner HMPS)
The target group for this project are ex-offenders from Black and Minority Ethnic communities who are doubly disadvantaged in the labour market. Ascend has been tackling cultural and institutional barriers and issues facing BME ex-offenders by engaging community and voluntary sector organisations to deliver key resettlement objectives for this group.
IMPACT – Asset (lead partner HMPS)
This project focuses on three categories of ex-offenders:
- 16 to 21 year old adult males
- 50+ year old males
- 16 to 65 year old females
The project aims to prove that a multi-agency case management approach coupled with a holistic delivery model can help place the target groups on an equal footing for economic reintegration. IMPACT engages the voluntary sector to deliver key resettlement objectives, develop the tools, methodologies and networks to enhance employability, and test the support mechanisms needed to help the target groups access the labour market. It also has been building links to employer groups to promote the business case for a diverse workforce and employment of ex-offenders.
Engage (lead partner National LSC)
The aim of the Engage Development Partnership has been to pilot and test projects that will support offenders to increase their skills and improve their employability. Led by the Learning and Skills Council (the organisation responsible for Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) in England) partners have been building on basic skills tuition (literacy and numeracy) delivered in custodial settings to improve offenders' motivation, skills, and strengthening links to employers which could ultimately lead to employment.
Reachout (lead partner NIACRO)
This project builds on the work of the earlier project, Personal Progression System, which focused on pre-release employability training in Northern Ireland. The focus for Reachout is on improving the employment prospects of ex-offenders in the community. To ensure that employers are prepared to work with the motivated, trained ex-offender, the project has been building links with employers with 'hard to fill' vacancies, providing customised training for employers referred by Business in the Community, and generating work-based training and placement opportunities for ex-offenders based on models developed in the disability sector (incentives, etc.). This project has developed models of peer mentoring and works closely with the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland.
